About

Preparing your mind for the safety message

Author/trainer

J.A. (Tony) Martin

Tony has worked for 35 years in industry and post-secondary education. His career began with a heavy duty equipment mechanic apprenticeship in Canada. Years later, he earned an A.A.S. in Diesel Technology and a B.S. in Technology Education from the University of Alaska.

Tony's teaching career began at Ilisagvik College in Barrow, Alaska (now Utqiagvik). He went on to become a faculty member at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, where he was promoted to full professor. Tony has been a contributing editor for Motor Age magazine since 2006, and continues to write about automotive and diesel technology topics.

While he currently works as a trainer in the mining industry, he has operated a mobile equipment repair business, and worked in a chemical plant, a liquefied natural gas plant, refineries, and off shore oil platforms. Each of these settings has provided experiences that fueled the perspective he shares in this book.

Where to begin...

“Tony Martin takes a holistic view of safety. His unique approach introduces his readers to the hard truths of safety malpractice from both an employer and employee perspective. Most importantly, he does not shy away from the seldom-mentioned realities of common shortcomings in safe work practice. In one chapter that I consider to be especially relevant, the tricky issue of the "safety culture" of the workplace is addressed head-on, dispelling myths surrounding some of the behaviors that prevail in a primarily male workforce. The book outlines in stark detail the human and financial tolls of safety infractions, drawing the reader into its message by using an appealing anecdotal approach.

At the core of this book's message is the author's experience of worker safety education in the mining industry. Its strength is in examining the challenges of ensuring that safety awareness is paramount in minds of both managers and employees, while never losing sight of the fact that the goal of any industrial operation is to make a profit. Tony cites a wide range of workplace safety issues using real-world examples and his solutions are not to condemn, but rather to be thoughtfully remedial.”